Red Jewel Diaries
Chapter 10: Dragon Quest (part 1)
Xx~~*~~xX
Nanoha: "Vivio isn't the only child who seems to be quickly growing up; Fate's "kids" have been advancing into their teenage years quite rapidly lately, Erio in particular with regards to height. But it might be Caro that is surpassing him a bit in maturity. A recent event demonstrated both, and worried Fate to pieces when she heard about it, but I think, however, that she is more than proud than anything of how they are growing up on their own. And also, the growth of a friend of theirs was also quite surprising..."
x~~*~~x
Caro dragged herself out of bed and rubbed her bleary eyes, wondering what was wrong with herself and why she felt so tired. Well, she actually realized why she might be lethargic, because she had another confusing dream last night and couldn't figure out what it meant, and that meant she spent the night tossing and turning. The most obvious conclusion was that it was another dragon trying to get in contact with her, but it didn't seem right; there was only a vague shape and a garbled voice in the black void of her dreamscape. As before with Adelinde, she stood ready for whatever test, but none came, and the shape didn't reply to her inquiries.
As Caro headed for the bathroom to wash-up, she thought it might be a different sort of test; maybe the dragon was waiting for her to figure out its name, or figure out the puzzle, or say the right thing. She couldn't go back to her tribe, so that just left her trying to figure out things on her own. She was a summoner of the Lu Lushe tribe of Alzas, and she could do this if she just put her mind to it!
While she put her clothes into the laundry basket, she sighed at another task she'd have to put her mind to; washing hers and Erio's clothes later. It wasn't something she was assigned, but she did it anyway just to make sure they'd get done; she wouldn't have him forgetting to wash until he ended up having to wear dirty clothes again.
Fried flew into the bathroom and alighted on her shoulder, giving her cheek a lick which made her giggle. "Good morning to you, too! Did you sleep well? And is Erio not up yet?"
He chirped at her, which gave her all the answer she needed.
She sighed. "He's been sleeping in more and more lately. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was trying to avoid the morning work. Shall we go wake him?"
He hung his head, almost shrugging, as if to say, "Good luck with that!" then flew off again, probably to get some breakfast.
Caro sighed again as she finished dressing, then headed over to his room and knocked, receiving a faint groan in reply. She didn't bother knocking a second time, or even calling out, instead just opened his door and walked in. The sight inside caused her scowl.
"Erio, you need to get up," she told him as she began picking clothes up off the floor. "And you need to put socks and shirts in the hamper, as I'm washing today!"
A muffled "okay" sounded from under the shifting covers.
"And also try to empty your pockets fully before tossing them," she added, laying the articles of clothing over her arm. "I found several tissues in your jeans last time."
"I know, I know," Erio said more clearly, his voice sounding a bit strange, but still covered by sheets. "I'll be more careful. Can you let me get dressed now?"
"Erio?" Caro said, suddenly concerned, reaching up to draw back his sheet. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine!" he nearly shouted back from under the covers, holding onto the top blanket strongly so she couldn't pull it off. "Can you just leave me alone?!"
Caro snatched her hand back, talking over her shoulder as she headed back to the door. "Well, I was just concerned about you, but I'll leave and put your clothes into the hamper for you, and then head down to help fix your breakfast. Feel free to join the rest of us when you can pull yourself out of bed!"
She roughly pulled the door closed, wonder what had got into him lately. They had always been close, but he seemed to push her away more and more lately, as if he didn't want to be around her. What was his problem?
She sighed and marched down the hall, pushing him out of her mind for the moment, and concentrating on what she'd be doing for the day.
x~~*~~x
Erio breathed a sigh of relief as the door slammed shut, then started to get out of bed and placed the tissues on his nightstand. He felt mildly guilty about what he had said, but he couldn't let her find out about this; she'd definitely think he was weird. Perhaps he could apologized to her downstairs, and maybe offer to help with the laundry or her chores, to make it up to her.
As he began to get dressed, he just wanted to know why this was happening to him now? And why was he feeling stranger and stranger about being around Caro? She hadn't really seemed to change much, had she? She did seem a bit more on edge lately, a bit more secretive perhaps, as if she didn't want to spend as much time with him. Could she be getting sick of his presence?
Erio headed out into the hallway to wash his face, yawning, wondering if he should shave off his late evening training practices with Strada, perhaps cutting it down to only 3 or 4 days a week. He wanted to stay prepared in case something happened to Caro again; he wouldn't let her get hurt again, and somehow that seemed to become more important to him over the past year or so, but he wasn't sure why.
Shrugging, he headed downstairs to join the other Nature Preserve Rangers for breakfast. There wasn't many of them, since they worked on multiple shifts and for the most part magic automation handled a lot of the Reserve in general. So the small cafeteria only had half a dozen people in it at most during most of the day.
"Erio, over here!" Caro announced, waving from a round table with a couple other sitting at it and drawing him over. "I already got you some breakfast."
Erio sighed as he sat down, taking note of the pickles among the rest of the food; he wasn't real fond of pickles, even though Caro really liked them. "You didn't have to do that..."
"It's okay," she told him brightly. "I wanted to make up for this morning, so I saved you some of the good stuff before it disappeared."
Erio reddened a bit and focused on his meal, grabbing his fork and beginning to pick through it.
Mira, one of the other two at the table, raised and eyebrow and asked curiously, "What happened this morning?"
"Erio, are you okay?" Tanto questioned as he adjusted his glasses, a look of concern on his face.
Erio finished coughing and gulped down some juice. "I'm fine!"
"Are you sure?" Caro asked, concerned, patting him on the back. "I could go get-"
"I don't need anything else!" he nearly shouted. "I can handle my own clothes, my own breakfast, and my own business!" He instantly froze, as if realizing what he was shouting, seeing Caro's eyes begin to tear up.
Then her face turned into a scowl. "Fine, I'll stay out of your business from now on, and you can stay out of mine. Fried, let's go, we have morning chores to do."
Erio wanted to say something, but found he had no voice, as he watched her stand up with her nearly empty plate and walk away, Fried flying up from the floor to follow her out. He sighed and concentrated on his meal, realizing that he'd have to apologize to her yet again, wondering how in the world he kept upsetting her. They'd been together for a long time, so why was this all happening now?
"You probably don't want to hear this, but you should go apologize to her," Mira noted with as much tact as she could muster. "She's feeling hurt."
"I know," he said, sighing between bites. "All I ever do is upset her lately, though, and I don't know why." He noted the two adults look at each other. "What?"
"A girl's heart is a funny thing," Tanto said mysteriously. "Easily breakable if you're not careful."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Erio wondered in disbelief as Mira elbowed the man.
Mira turned to him and smiled. "What he means is, Caro is probably as confused as you are. We've seen the two of you being on edge lately. Just apologize and talk to her honestly, without raising your voice. I'm confident you two will work something out."
[I hope so,] Erio muttered, his thoughts a bit dark as he finished his meal.
x~~*~~x
"What have you got this morning, Mr. Geoff?" Caro asked the Nature Preserve Ranger Master, trying to focus her mind on work.
He looked up from his clipboard. "Oh, Caro, good mornin' to ya! Well, let's see, there's not a whole lot for ya right now. There's two tourist groups camping out that could be checked up on, the lagomorphs need to be fed, and Watersnakes Swamp will need its water level adjusted again."
"I'll handle the lagomorphs!" Caro said cheerfully and quickly as she turned Fried to adult-size, suppressing a shudder at the last suggestion; out of all the animals, she really didn't like snakes. "Fried and I can carry a lot of grain.”
"Heh, thought you might," Geoff chuckled, then watched her trying to get the larger harness on Fried so he could carry the bags of feed. "Sure you don't want to wait for young Erio to give ya a hand? He's been sproutin' like a weed lately, and will probably double your height in a few years, unless you get growin'!"
Caro ignored his joke and laughter as her mood darkened a bit; height was an increasing issue between them. "I can handle-oof!"
She sighed and continued to ignore his laughter as she fell and landed on her face, but accepted his help in getting the harness and feed bags attached, then summoned Adelinde to carry the last four in each of her claws.
"Sure you don't want to wait for your young man to join you?" Geoff questioned, removing his wide-brimmed ranger hat and scratching his head as she mounted up on Fried.
"No, I can handle this," she replied, smiling at him and giving Fried's reigns a light tug. "Thanks again! I'll be back later!"
She knew she was probably being a bit petty, but she just didn't feel like talking to him at the moment, and perhaps this short jaunt to spend some time with her animal friends would do her good. Perhaps she'd try to make with him later in the evening, but right now, she just wanted to enjoy the wind in her face as the two dragons soared through the sky.
The lagomorph section was on the far side of the reserve, near the northwestern fence that surrounded the entire nature area. She giggled as the small, pink, furry creatures with long ears bounded out of the forest on two short legs to get fed, then once the feed was all deposited, she left them so they could eat in peace, desummoning Adelinde and finding a nice grassy hill overlooking the feasting animals. Fried also returned to child-size; he didn't have to, but sometimes he liked to so he could fit in her lap like he was now.
Caro scratched him and thought about her position here; she loved the world of Supool, and the Nature Reserve in particular, as well as all her friends, so she wondered why she was feeling a bit empty and listless lately.
"They are quite beautiful, aren't they?" a gentle male voice announced from behind, startling her.
She turned her head as Fried lifted his lazily. "Y-yes. Not many people find them so, because they look like a mishmash of leftover animal parts."
Her visitor, a young male in a T-shirt and jeans, who looked to be in his 20s, sat down a couple meters to her left, but he was still focused on the flock of lagomorphs, taking picture with a somewhat sophisticated-looking camera. "But not us, eh? I find all of nature's animals to be beautiful. All of them!"
She was surprised when he turned to her, camera still over his face as he made to take a picture of her, causing her to blush slightly for a reason she couldn't fathom. Then he pushed the button and she felt something on her neck, reaching up to find a small object lodged there. It suddenly became harder to think, her vision turning blurry, but she sensed Fried rousing in her lap and growling; with a second click, though, he flopped to the ground. She felt like she was falling, but strangely didn't feel much of anything upon hitting the grass.
The last thing she heard was a voice coming from somewhere that said, "Remember, we need both of them alive, including the small dragon."
x~~*~~x
"Zafira!” Erio noted with surprise as he stepped outside, after helping Tanto with a small task. “What are you doing here?"
"It is good to see you, Erio," the Guardian Beast told him while in human form, lips turned upwards ever so slightly into a smile. "I am actually here to see Caro. Is she around?"
He sighed. "She left a few hours ago to do something, and I'm not too sure when she'll return. Is it urgent?"
Zafira thought about it. "Not entirely. Would you like to spar some while waiting?"
Erio smiled and nodded, remembering the times the Guardian Beast had taught him some basic hand-to-hand moves. "Sure, let me just check in with Geoff; we don't seem to be too busy today."
But several hours after the workout, Caro still hadn't returned, which caused Erio to grow a bit concerned that she was staying away longer on purpose. Even so, Zafira really seemed to want to talk to her, and Erio did want to apologize, albeit reluctantly, so he reluctantly opened a communication window; but there was no response. Even Strada couldn't get in touch with Kerykeion. Growing more worried, the pair headed to the control room.
"I can't get in touch with her or her device, either," Tanto informed them at his workstation; a holographic map of the entire reserve was spread out before them on the table. "Of course, that might not mean anything, as we don't have coverage over the entire preserve, and sometimes we get interference. She should still be out there somewhere, as we would have noticed if she passed beyond the security fence."
"Even if she was upset at you, I don't think she would have been gone this long without saying something," Mira noted concerned. "Even still, I think you should go look for her. According to the log, she went to take feed to the lagomorphs. We can grab a jeep and head out there-"
"That might take too long," Zafira spoke up, and Erio thought he detected something in the Guardian Beast's voice; he seemed a bit more troubled than usual. "I can fly out there faster than a land vehicle. Erio, would you accompany me?"
Erio barely registered the question, but nodded at once, speaking his assent. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and that Zafira knew something; but if so, why didn't he say anything before? He leapt onto Zafira's back and grabbed his fur as the Guardian Beast shifted into wolf form and took off into the sky, then spoke his questions.
"I wanted to wait to speak to you both, as Hayate wanted to keep this quiet for now," Zafira spoke mysteriously, but his next words began to clear some things up. "Carim's latest prophecies have begun describing another event which will affect Mid-Childa greatly. Based upon Yuuno's interpretations, the year these things will take place, will be one that starts with a dragon's struggle."
Erio began to understand; it was currently January of the year 0079, so if the prophecy was to take place this year, then it would fit. They would ultimately know that this was to be the year, but that would also mean...
"So you think this could concern Caro and her summons?" Erio asked, growing more worried. "Couldn't it mean something else?"
"It's possible, which is why Hayate finally decided to send me to talk to you discretely," he replied. "It's always possible we're not understanding the prophecies correctly, and most in the Bureau still don't take them too seriously. I would have come sooner, but the translated part of her latest prophecy containing this part was only recently completed." He seemed to sense the young teenager's distress, as his tone changed to comforting. "But we could be mistaken; I'm sure Caro is okay."
Erio just nodded, not replying as the pair flew through the sky, his thoughts all over the place.
x~~*~~x
"She's not here," Erio despaired, feeling a strange empty, painful feeling in his gut as he surveyed the lagomorph feeding meadow.
"But she was," Zafira told him, sniffing along the ground, slowly moving in one direction. "I detect the scents of a few others. They went off in this direction together, let's go."
Erio ran, following the rapidly moving wolf, fearing the worst as he deduced the likely outcome. "If Caro went with them, and didn't tell anyone, then she didn't go willingly. At least, I can't think of why she would deviate without letting the other rangers know."
"That is likely," Zafira admitted reluctantly. "But don't give up hope, as there could be another explanation. Also, these scents are only a few hours old, and thus there is a chance we can catch them if we hurry."
"They could be anywhere in the reserve by now," the young ranger calculated. "We're approaching the security fence, and they couldn't have gotten past that.... unless they could fly over it."
"I don't think they can fly, or else they wouldn't have been traveling on the ground," Zafira told him, then his tone changed slightly. "But I think we have a problem."
Erio noticed the issue at about the same time, as they arrived at the ten meter high security barrier. There was a wide hole in the glowing green horizontal bars about three meters up, where the light had literally been bent, but shouldn't that have set off the alarms back at the control center? Erio quickly opened a communication window and relayed the situation.
"I don't know what to tell you, as that section of the fence appears to be fine from what we can tell here," Tanto's visage in the window replied, then his eyes narrowed. "Wait, let me pull up the status data from the past several hours..."
Erio followed Zafira through the hole, not needing to be an expert lupine tracker to see the tire tracks in the dirt on the other side. "Find anything? It looks like they were here, and then left."
"Hmm, I think I see it now; the status updates we are getting from that section seem to be in some sort of loop, as if it's giving us the same four data sets in 30 minute intervals," Tanto replied. "Somehow, they reprogrammed it so we'd be getting past repeat data instead of new updates, so we wouldn't see that anything was wrong. These guys are good. It looks like the loop might have started 6-8 hours ago. And we probably wouldn't have noticed it for days until the next maintenance check on that section."
"Thanks, Tanto," Erio told him, sighing. "We'll keep tracking and see if we can find them. Can you alert the authorities?"
"I suggest locking down the starport as well, and getting us information on any ships that would have left in the past 4 hours or so," Zafira added, coming up beside them. "If they planned to get offworld, we'll need to be able to track those ships."
"I'm on it," Tanto replied solemnly. "Good luck you two!"
Zafira gestured for Erio to mount him once more as they took off down the dirt road, but all the young teenage boy could think about, was how the last time he had seen her, she was mad at him. He dearly wished he would get a chance to apologize, and made a silent vow never to fight with her again.
x~~*~~x
Caro slowly awoke, moaning at the pain in her joints, but had a strange feeling of disorientation. [I don't quite remember falling asleep... And how did I end up back in my bed?] She blinked her eyes open, recalling that she didn't just fall asleep; she was attacked with something that made her pass out.
That realization caused her spring upright, fighting a wave of vertigo as she wondered just how long she was out. As she took stock of her new quarters, she wondered, [Where exactly am I?]
It appeared to be a fairly nice, well-lit bedroom. There was various fancy wood furniture, stylish multi-colored carpeting, and the bed was rather soft and posh; yhere was even a wine cabinet off to the side, and a partially open large walk-in closet, leaving her wondering if she was in some rich person's house.
"Fried!" she blurted suddenly, remembering that he was with her before the attack.
But there wasn't any sign of him nearby, and when she concentrated, she couldn't really sense him, but Kerykeion was gone as well so her telepathic range was limited. Still, she could summon Adelinde and find out just what was going on, but before she could start trying to gather mana for that, a knock sounded at the door and then it opened, revealing a man lanky man in a small white beret.
"Ah, good you're awake," he told her in a jovial voice. "Apologize for the rough treatment, but we have our orders. Don't worry, though, you're in no danger. We have no intention of harmin' ya."
"Who are you?" she asked with a little bit of both fear and anger. "Where am I? And what is this all about?"
He smacked his forehead, then bowed. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners? I'm Captain Fronz, and you're aboard my ship, the Tessa Rose. We've been ordered to escort you to see someone."
Caro regained most of her wits as she narrowed her eyes. "Who? You still haven't told me what this is all about. And where is my dragon, Friedrich?"
"I'm terribly sorry, but you'll have to be patient a bit," Captain Fronz told her apologetically. "He's asleep at the moment, a precautionary measure, but unharmed. As for what this is about, well, it's not for me to tell. But perhaps I can help you out there."
She watched as he opened a communication window, and a young man with short, fiery red hair appeared and asked, "Yes, what is it?"
"Begging your pardon, sir, but the girl just awoke, and is rather confused," the captain said in a manner that indicated the younger male in the window was his superior. "Seeing as how I'm under orders, I hoped you might explain it to her." He turned the window to so that the red-hair man was looking at her.
"Hmm, I had planned to wait, but I suppose now would be a better time," he declared. "Captain, you may leave us, and continue with your orders."
Fronz saluted with a "Yes, sir!" then left the room, leaving Caro alone with the man in the viewscreen.
"Are you alright?" he asked with seemingly genuine concern, leaving Caro a bit bewildered by the change in tone. "They didn't hurt you or anything?"
"No, I just want to know why I was kidnapped, and where Fried is!" she told him, exasperated at not getting answers.
"My apologizes, but this was all necessary, as you will see," he told her, apologetic, and she was struck by how sincere he was trying to be. "You see, we have much in common, Caro Ru Lushe of the Lu Lushe tribe of Alzas. I've been looking for you for quite some time now."
Her eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"
He smiled honestly, which seemed somehow disarming, a "My name is Elrik. And I am, like you, an outcast of the Lu Lusche tribe. A summoner, reviled and feared for my power, also thrown out by my tribe." Her eyes widened at the declaration. "Yes, I am just like you."
x~~*~~x
The pair crouched in the foliage of the bushes at the base of the trees, studying the cabin up the hill a short ways; the two jeeps Zafira had been tracking had led them here, and were now parked beside it. Erio knew two things for sure: Caro may or may not be here, but someone inside should have some information as to her whereabouts..
Not too long ago, the scent of the vehicles led past the starport and the information they had received since then from the port authority was that four ships had taken off in the timer interval since Caro had left to feed the lagomorphs. Two of those were civilian transport vessels, who had been contacted and the captains were now searching their ships for signs of Caro. The other two were private cargo freighters who couldn't be reached, although the Bureau was sending a ship to look for them.
The interplanetary transporter controlled by the Bureau had its logs checked, but Caro hadn't been detected using it. So either she had been smuggled onto one of the ships, or if she was still on planet, then she was here. If not, those inside could probably tell them where she had been taken.
"What's taking them so long?" Erio growled quietly in frustration. "We should just go in now. Caro could be in there, and hurt or something!"
"Easy young Erio," Zafira soothed just as quietly. "If they wanted to harm her, they would have done so. None of the animals at the reserve were taken, so they were very deliberately targeting her, which means they want her alive for some reason. She'll be okay. The authorities will be here soon to assist us in apprehending them for questioning."
But Erio's anxiety only rose as the minutes passed, thinking about the way she went off mad, and how he never got the chance to apologize, and now who knew what she could be going through. If only he hadn't made her mad, then she wouldn't have gone off alone, and wouldn't be in this mess.
"I can't wait, anymore," Erio declared, then pointed his spear. "Strada, form zwei!"
The head of the spear shifted, deploying the boosters, which promptly activated and shot him up the hill. He heard Zafira call out from behind him, but then he was bursting through the front door and charging into the living room where three men looked up at him in shock from their chairs around a table.
"Where's is she?" Erio demanded to know angrily. "Where's Caro!?"
The shock promptly dropped, as all three reached for weapons in their holsters. Erio recognized them as guns, and ran at them deflecting the first few shots with a shield, then jabbing the butt end of his spear into the first one's stomach, doubling him over. The other two separated, firing all the while, but a sonic move later, both were equally laid out.
His adrenaline was still pumping, though, and he quickly casts binds on all three of them before hearing the sound of a vehicle starting outside. Cursing, he flew out of the room and back outside, noting one of the jeeps making a rapid retreat down the dirt road, but a boost from Strada sent him hot in pursuit. He cought up in no time as he spun and slashed the tires on the left side, sending the vehicle spinning out and landing on it's right side. Erio landed on the car and grabbed the suspect attempting to climb out.
"Where is she!?" the dragon knight demanded to know. "Where's the girl you kidnapped?!"
"I-I don't know!" the terrified man sputtered. "We're just local people, hired to do a job! We were just told to drop her off with the other two men at the spaceport, that's all I know!"
But Erio wasn't finished. "Who are they? Where did they take her!?"
"I swear I don't know anything else!" he cried.
"That's enough," Zafira told him, placing a hand firmly on Erio's shoulder. "He has told you all he knows for now, but we will find out where they went. Leave him for the authorities."
Erio looked up at the police cars coming up the road, then back down to the terrified suspect he was holding, then pushed him back into the car and bound him. "Fine." He then dropped down beside the jeep and sat down, leaning against it. "I know, I shouldn't have gone off like that."
"There is that," Zafira replied. "I trapped two more who were escaping out the back, before I caught up with you. I am sure Nanoha taught you better than that."
"I just... couldn't wait for some reason," Erio said, sighing as he held his head. "I don't know why, and now we may have lost her."
"All is not lost, young Erio," Zafira told him. "I received some information earlier from Hayate on piracy in the area, and I now I feel it is more relevant to consider."
Erio looked up in surprise as a new screen was opened, showing a star chart. "Piracy? How does that help us?"
"I wasn't sure at the time, but this confirms it," Zafira started to explain as several points on the map lit up. "They had money to hire these individuals and plans to escape offworld, which suggests a larger operation. These points indicate pirate attacks in the general dimensional space area. From what little information we have, they hit low-key villages and storage depots, and make off with supplies. The attacks have been relatively small, with no one being harmed, and with Bureau ship resources a bit light since the Al Hazard incident, they haven't been able to follow up on it."
"How are we supposed to find pirates?" Erio questioned. "Even if they have her and she's offworld, they could be hiding anywhere!"
"I am not sure yet, but we shall find her; we will leave no stone unturned," Zafira told him, studying the teenage boy for a bit. "You care a great deal about her, do you not?"
Erio froze, then nodded and sighed. "I had a fight with her before she disappeared. I just... don't want it to end like this. She's just been so short-tempered around me lately, and I don't know what to do about it!"
Zafira stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That depends on what you want out of your relationship. I have noticed that human mating rituals differ from that of wolves. Once we decide upon a mate, there is no hesitation; we go straight for her. If there are other wolves in the way, we fight. No matter what obstacles or what distance may be in the way, we traverse it. It is the way we prove our worth, as a female wolf wants a strong mate."
Erio had reddened a bit, but then laughed. "You make it sound like some sort of quest."
"It might be considered a quest in your terms," Zafira said with a small smile. "On the other hand, I have noticed humans seem to dance around the issue, never directly telling their prospective mate their desires. It is very strange, I must admit. But Caro is no wolf; she is much like the dragons she controls: strong and independent. If you wish a life with her, I would encourage you to be honest with her."
"I-I never said I liked her that way!" the young teenage boy protested, blushing again and turning to study the map as a pretense to hide his face. But then his eyes locked on something on the star map, and he began to think. "Zafira, I think I may have an idea!"
x~~*~~x
"Erio, I didn't expect you to call," Agito said, surprised. "I'm just here visiting for a few days. What can I help ya with?"
"Agito, um, have you noticed anything unusual in the area?" Erio asked, anxious. "There have been some pirate attacks in the general area of the planet of Carnajii."
The little demon thought for a bit. "Hmm, can't say I have. Things were quiet on the shuttle ride I took over here."
"Who is calling?" came an older female voice, then Megane stepped into view, drying a cup and smiling. "Oh, hello there, Erio! Is Caro not with you? Or did you just walk to speak to Lutecia?"
Erio hesitated, then thought the truth was best. "Caro has been kidnapped. Is Lu available? I know her bugs have mapped most of the planet by now. I'm wondering if they noticed anything."
"Oh dear," Megane uttered, raising a hand to her surprised face, then looked around thoughtfully. "Actually, I think she's out with Garyuu at the moment, but I can have her give you a call when she gets back in? And let us know if we can be of any further help."
"Me, too!" Agito added, inflamed, then pounded a tiny fist into her palm. "I'll incinerate the bastards who took her. I'll go find Lu for ya, and we'll be in contact. Keep us updated!"
"Thanks," Erio told them, as Agito smiled and flew off. "If you see or hear anything, let me know."
Megane nodded solemnly. "We will, and cheer up, Erio. You'll find her, I know you will."
Erio thanked her and signed off, sighing, then looked over at a curious Zafira studying him. "What?"
"That is quite a long shot," he remarked, thoughtful. "The odds that that they'll know something about pirates, even though Carnajii is in the general area of the other pirate attacks..."
Erio shrugged, resigned. "Leave no stone unturned, right? It was worth a shot."
x~~*~~x
Caro felt her body re-materialize after the teleport, her mind still going over what else Elrik had said after revealing himself to her.
"I have a surprise you may like," he told her, smiling mysteriously. "But secrecy must be maintained, so while I apologize for these measures, I promise it will be worth it. Your dragon, Friedrich, and your device will be returned you when you arrive."
And now she was here. [Wherever here is,] she added a bit darkly, but then looked around in surprise at the peaceful village spread amongst the greenery; this wasn't at all what she expected.
"Surprised?" a familiar male voice asked with a hint of amusement.
She turned to see a young man standing there, in a white casual suit. "Elrik? What is this?"
"This is our new home," he informed her, waving his hand to indicate the whole village. "For outcast summoners like ourselves. A place where we can be ourselves, free from persecution, free from being used as anyone's lap dogs, and where no one is ever an outcast."
Caro paused for a moment, seeing now the small creatures accompanied many of the dozen or so residents she could see milling about. "I don't understand... and where's is Fried?"
"Ah, here he comes now," Elrik pointed out, as the little dragon flew in and landed on Caro's shoulder. "He's just fine, as you can see."
Caro checked him over, noting from the sound of his coos that he seemed quite happy and pleased with himself, and then she hugged him as he rubbed his face against her cheek.
"Well, if you don't mind the pleasure of my company for awhile, allow me to show you around," Elrik told her, waving his arm and bowing slightly to indicate the village path, and smiling in a way that briefly made her insides feel a bit funny. "The hidden village of the summoners, known as Lushia!"
"Village of the summoners?" Caro questioned, looking around at the log cabins and wood houses intermixed with pine trees.. "Are all of these people summoners, then?"
Elrick chuckled and gestured toward a man and a woman working a small garden with their child; a type of badger summon seem to be assisting the woman. "Not all of them; a summoner sometimes brings their family with them to live in the commune. We hold no hate for non-summoners; we just don't desire to be subject to them. All we want here is a peaceful life and if someone agrees to that, they are welcome, as long as a summoner vouches for them."
He paused as a pair of girls with white-flower crowns ran up to them, giving each one of them an identical flowery wreath, then giggled and ran away after Caro thanked them, then mimicked Elrik in putting it around her neck.
"We don't get new people often, so you may see quite a bit of them studying you with curiosity, but they're all friendly," her guide told her with a hint of amusement. "But as for how I set this all up, well, it was almost 4 years ago, really. I was about your age, and I had been through some tough times after I was banished. But once I overcame them, I swore to find a place where I could live in peace, and if there wasn't one, to build it."
"What happened to you after you were cast out?" Caro asked curiously, then quickly added, "If that's not too personal of a question."
He chuckled. "Not at all. It wasn't very pleasant, but it is in the past, and most here know the story already. Like I assume you were, I had very few provisions as I was forced to wander. But while you managed to find a Bureau shelter, I wasn't so lucky. Pirates found me, and at first they were going to kill me for sport, but realized I was a mage and thus took me in. If I worked for them, I could live and share in their spoils."
"They forced you to attack other people?" Caro questioned in disbelief, finding herself a bit moved; he didn't have the luck she did to be found by the Bureau and then Fate. "It must have been hard on you...."
Elrik shrugged, then ducked under a low hanging branch. "They were doing what they had to, to survive. That's what any of us might be forced to do in other circumstances. Sure, they beat me occasionally when I didn't do what they wanted; but I was young, so I didn't know any better. However as I grew older and more confident in my powers, I attacked and killed the pirate leader; the rest fell into line shortly thereafter. I could have wiped them out with my magic, but I had enough of the killing and violence. So I made them work for me, finding other summoners, helping to build this place; most of them gradually found this a more fulfilling lifestyle."
Caro noticed that the pair had left the village, and now emerged from the thicker forest area next to a stream that seemed to have been bigger at one time. Fried flew over to drink from it.
"So I was just another summoner you wanted to join you?" Caro inquired, feeling a bit of unease for reasons she couldn't fathom.
"It does make me seem a bit bad when you put it that way," Elrik remarked, chuckling and smiling, but he also seemed a bit sad, but that expression vanished as he turned to her. "Not just because you are a summoner, but because you are a very special woman, Caro. The entire village wants you to join us, so that you can live fully as yourself, just like everyone else here."
The unease vanished, and she found herself blushing for some reason. "I-I'm flattered, but I was able to be myself back at Section Six, and at the Nature Preserve. I do good work there."
"I'm sure you did, but were you really happy, having to hide your powers from locals?" Elrik questioned. "Is there anyone in particular who is waiting for you there, who can truly accept you for who you are?"
"I..." she trailed off as Erio's image flashed through her head, and she found herself a bit sad; she wondered where he was now, and if he was worrying about her. Did he even know she was gone?
Elrik turned to her, kneeling and taking her hand. "You don't have to answer now, but I would request that you give it a few days at least. If you wish to tell people you are alright, you can compose a message and we'll send it, as long as you don't reveal our location. I'd just ask that you give things a try here, and if it's not truly what you want, you will be free to go."
Caro found her cheeks heating up again. "I'll... think about it."
He smiled gratefully, revealing a row of perfect white teeth."That's all I ask. Now come, let's return to the village, where I have one more surprise for you!"
She nodded, walking back with him, Fried flying back to land on her shoulder, all the while wondering what kind of surprise he meant. Then Fried suddenly took off again, flying through the air to land on another person's shoulder, who promptly smiled, giggled, and hugged him. Caro's mouth hung open at the girl with purple hair, not believing what she was seeing.
"Lutecia!?"
Xx~~*~~xX
Author's notes:
Yes, the title is a homage to the game series. :P But I have to wonder what others the Alzus tribe may have tossed out, and what happened to them, which was part of what I wanted to explore with this, among other things.
Regarding the tribe's name and Caro's last name, I'm not too sure of the actual significance, or if they are supposed to be identical. Caro's name seems to be Ru Lushe, while it seems the tribe is Lu Lushe (although I could be wrong about that, due to Japanese R's and L's). It could be like the Scrya clan, where everyone has the same last name.
2010-05-20, 16:25
Author
I was just developing Lutecia as I saw fit post-StrikerS, since I wasn't really into the Sound Stages and Vivid hadn't been released yet. I personally enjoy Vivid!Lutecia a great deal more since she's been given some decent page time, though my first love will always be how I developed her in Shadowverse.
